The Certain Reality of Eternity

chapter 5 starting in verse 1 the certain reality of eternity

The Apostle John recorded this After these things there was a feast of the

Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and There is in Jerusalem by the

Sheep Gate a pool which is called in Hebrew Bethesda Having five porticoes in these lay a multitude of those who were sick blind lame and withered

Waiting for the moving of the waters For an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water

Whoever then first after the stirring up of the water stepped in was made well from whatever sickness

With which he was afflicted and a man was there who had been sick for 38 years

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been a been been sick a long time

He said to him. Do you wish to get well? The sick man answered him

Sir, I have no one no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up But while I am coming another steps down before me

Jesus said to him get up pick up your mat and walk and Immediately the man became well and picked up his mat and began to walk

Now it was the Sabbath on that day So the Jews were saying to the man who had been healed

It is the Sabbath and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat But he answered them

He who made me well was the one who said to me pick up your mat and walk They asked him who is the man who said to you pick up your mat and walk?

But the man who was healed did not know who it was for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him Behold you have become well

Do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you the man went away and disclosed to the

Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well and For this reason the

Jews were persecuting Jesus Because he was doing things on the Sabbath, but he answered them

My father is working until now and I myself am working For this reason therefore the

Jews were seeking all the more to kill him Because he not only was breaking the

Sabbath, but also was calling God his own father making himself equal with God Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them

Truly truly I say to you the son can do nothing from himself unless it is something

He sees the father doing for whatever the father does these things the son also does in the same manner

For the father loves the son and shows him all things that he himself is doing and the father will show him

Greater works than these so that you will marvel For just as the father raises the dead and gives them life

Even so the son also gives life to whom he wishes For not even the father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the son

So that all will honor the son even as they honor the father He who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him truly truly

I say to you he who hears my word and Believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life verse 25

Truly truly I say to you an hour is coming and now is When the dead will hear the voice of the

Son of God and those who hear will live For just as the father has life in himself

Even so he gave to the son also to have life in himself and he gave him authority to execute

Judgment because he is the son of man Do not marvel at this

For an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come forth those

Who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life? Those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment

I Can do nothing from myself as I hear I judge and my judgment is righteous

Because I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent me

If I alone bear witness about myself, my witness is not true Therefore there is another who bears witness about me and I know that the witness which he gives

About me is true You may be seated the certain reality of eternity the two resurrections in chapter 5 the

Apostle John recorded the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda so that you can understand that the point or the purpose of Jesus is healing ministry the third sign wonder the miracle displayed that Jesus is greater than any religious superstition or man -made tradition the mission statement by Jesus that he is equal with the father demonstrated the purpose of Jesus's ministry in saving sinners from hell and doing good continuously for God's elect

Following the third sign wonder and Jesus's response to the Jews who were opposing him

Jesus would go on to define his deity in three different ways

The first was the claims of his equality with God The second is his explanation of the reality of two resurrections

One for life and one for judgment. The third is when Jesus explains who are the witnesses to him?

He says it is God the Father and the scriptures that testify about him

Today, we will look at the second way that Jesus defines his deity the two resurrections the certain reality of eternity

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 says this He has made everything beautiful in its time

He has also set eternity in their heart Yet so that man will not find out the work which

God has done from the beginning even to the end the certain reality of eternity the scripture teaches us that it is

God himself that Places into the heart of men the idea of eternity

The the afterlife that there's something more Beyond this life here on earth.

There's something that's waiting for us all after we die after we physically

Leave the earth It's God who does that? But there's something that is just it's like we have blinders on in our society

You know the problems that we face today in Society really are the problems we face in the church

Some of the things that we see going on I can think even back where I came from in, California they just passed a law where a child can go to school and and can be sort of like Encouraged by the the leadership the teachers or admins of that school to change their gender and They could actually do that without the parents permission and without the parents knowledge

Like wow, that's just sounds horrible But it it's so sort of like norm normal or like we're desensitized to that We have to think about that in what's going on and that's not just going on in California That kind of stuff is going on all over the world

That is a great great evil that has transpired a great evil an attack on children

This idea of all of these things in the culture and even professing Christians You know, it's shocking to me to have a conversation with the professing

Christian that says they're pro -choice It's okay to have abortion. It's my choice

The slaughter of the unborn in the womb and you're a professing Christian You're okay with what's going on and in our society

You know, we think about the election is coming up. How do these things have like affect our lives? You know,

I'm not here to say which political party I think you should vote for but we have people who are in power over us and authority as the government who

Suggests that we can terminate a child up until the second they are born the second they are born late -term abortion

I Saw on this whole thing with the Olympic opening.

Let's say I see Christians online defending it. Oh It's not really about that.

It's not the Lord's Supper where the producer of the whole thing is quoted by liberal

News sites and articles saying yeah, it was inspired by da Vinci's Last Supper. He's the producer

He's the one that picked it. They decorated the set. They did all that then I have a Christian online saying no

No, that's not what it's about. It's about a Greek painting and Dionysus. Well the Greek painting that they're referring to Let's say it is the

Greek painting. It's a Greek painting that depicts an orgy Well Your how is that any better?

You're a follower of Christ What is going on in society? And we have pulpits

Not around the world not in California right here in Laurel Right here in this community who will not speak out about sin

They won't speak out about it You know we had the gospel event at the zoo we're going into the public to do an hour public worship

We're gonna sing worship songs We're gonna read the scripture. We're gonna pray. There's a 20 -minute gospel message.

We had an hour so you have to And one of the one of the pastors in the community said oh,

I don't get involved in that. That's not really my thing What it's not your thing Are you a way,

I'm confused you're a gospel your pastor preaching the gospel in public's not your thing I don't want to I don't want to get involved what?

Because it would be ungracious or unloving to alienate drag queens Because in 2022 they had the drag queen story hour we called ours the gospel story hour well that could be unloving

We don't want to be unloving towards that community so think about the logic there. You're not willing to Preach the gospel to unbelievers because you might offend other unbelievers

And I realized that it's not just society that this is a problem with this is a problem with the church today

And the the issue is this people don't believe in the doctrine of hell anymore

You've been it's been so long For a man to come in the pulpit and just to say what the

Bible says this passage clearly is talking about judgment and It's for every single person

No one gets away We can't talk about that What is the gospel the good news?

Well? There's good news. There's bad news, right? We're our preachers today unwilling to talk about the gospel.

I can't just tell you everything. That's good I have to tell you why it's good and why it's good is because God himself

Has made a way for us to have peace with him that we can be bailed out of the certain

Wrath to come upon the world and it is certain the certain reality of eternity

I saw this video meme and you may have seen it. It's kind of a popular one going around It's a meme of some folks on a train and the world is burning outside of the train

So you may or may not have seen this so it has like sort of the viewpoint of the cameras inside the train

And it shows people like in the carriage, and they're sort of like on their phone They're sort of like just looking at their phone, and they're all happy every one of them has a smile on their face

They're just happy so they're having a good time and then on the outside of the glass it shows

You know they're going by whatever landscape, and it shows like a city kind of rural areas big

Metropolitan and everything's on fire Everything's on fire buildings are falling over.

It's massive destruction the world is on fire. It looks like the apocalypse So this world is burning on the outside of the train as they're shooting by Everyone just on their phone happy and then some of them look up and they look outside of the window smiles on their face

And I thought wow what a great Visual description of the world that we live in today

God is real, and he's coming back to judge the unbelieving world and Everybody just acts like oh, that's fine

You hear like nominal Christians or carnal Christians. Let me tell you something. There's no such thing

You're either a Christian, or you're not There's no carnal Christians Are you a follower of Christ or not?

You know you're gonna live for Christ or not and I just as I'm reading this passage and studying through this

I Realize the issue that we have today is that we it's like a denial

It's like people are in denial We're it's just like Christ said the time of Noah will be like what precedes my return

Everyone is just going around eating drinking getting married. You know I see I see people online

Defending sin, and they say they're Christians You're defending sin

You're you're not defending Christ. I wish I could see the same zeal For Christ that I see professing

Christians make for the LGBTQ community Could you could you imagine? Something is going on and I just realized oh that that person doesn't believe in the doctrine of hell

They think this judgment isn't real this is going to happen so what do we do in light of this?

Well this text is really both encouraging and it's an exhortation and It's it can be both it is both

For us as believers. It's an encouragement to remind ourselves of this eternal torment

But everlasting life Everlasting life the two resurrections the certain reality of eternity and my initial thoughts on the passage as I was

Looking ahead now. We're about three Sundays ago before we were blessed to sit under pastor

Justin's Preaching from from James, and we were blessed to have pastor

Mike Riccardi Teach us last Sunday, so a few

Sundays had gone by but I was sort of looking ahead I knew I was gonna get to this portion. I thought I'm gonna be preaching the doctrine of hell that Sunday That was my expectation as I was looking at what was ahead not yet doing a deep dive

But as I studied this week I realized that Jesus in the context of this passage is talking about more than judgment

It is true that this passage is about judgment It is true that this passage clearly demonstrates that Jesus has the authority to execute judgment

The context of the two resurrection is Jesus's claim of deity and his power to grant life

But look at the immediate context look at verse 24 truly truly I say to you he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has

Eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life the two resurrections and Jesus's explanation of judgment and Eternity isn't about damnation

This sermon isn't about damnation. It's about deliverance

This is about everlasting life granted by the one who has the authority to pronounce the eternal punishment in verses 25 through 32

John defines the deity of Jesus of Nazareth by recording Jesus his own own words

Refuting the Jews who were seeking to kill him and Jesus himself explains his equality with God the

Father in three ways So that you can understand the certain reality of eternity and respond properly to the voice of the

Shepherd Three clear ways Jesus defines his deity by explaining judgment and eternity number one the emphatic truth the emphatic truth verses 25 through 27

Number two the eternal reality the eternal reality verses 28 and 29 and number three the exceptional purpose verses 30 through 32 three crystal -clear ways

Jesus defines his deity by explaining judgment and eternity and the first is the emphatic truth verses 25 through 27

He says truly truly I say to you an hour is coming and now is

When the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live

For just as the Father has life in himself Even so he gave to the

Son also to have life in himself and he gave him authority to Execute judgment because he is the

Son of Man Jesus starts his explanation of the two resurrections

With his commonly used emphatic language his emphatic opening it's emphatic.

It's important He's saying stop what you're doing. Take heed what I'm about to say is critical.

I am telling you the truth. So listen up truly truly an

Hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live

He starts out by explaining a both -and scenario Let me explain

He is revealing an already and not yet tension regarding the two resurrections those who believe in faith are born again and are spiritually resurrected

Meaning they've transferred out of death into light meaning you were Spiritually dead you were spiritually dead and now you are spiritually alive

He says an hour is coming and now is Ephesians 2 says it like this

Paul and you were dead in your transgressions and sins dead now is

Again Paul Colossians chapter 2 and you being dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh

He made you alive with him having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions that's a now is

But also a future resurrection that is literal and physical Still awaits those who are born again in the

Spirit of God by faith in Christ an hour is coming Paul talks about it like this in Philippians chapter 3 for our citizenship is in heaven from which also we

Eagerly wait for a Savior the Lord Jesus Christ Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of his glory?

By his working through which he is able to even subject all things to himself

This is a future promise and fulfilled now a both -end scenario

We know Jesus is referring to both spiritual rebirth now and a future restoration in the immediate context of verses 28 and 29

But also in the specific language Jesus is using he's already stated something similar to the

Samaritan woman at the well You'll notice he kind of says the same thing but in a different way Look at chapter 4 and verses 21 through 23

This same language of the hour coming He says in chapter 4 verse 21

Woman believe me an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem Will you worship the

Father you worship what you do not know? We worship what we know for salvation is from the

Jews But an hour is coming and now is When the true worshippers will worship the

Father in spirit and truth for such people the Father seeks to be his worshippers same thing from verse 28 an hour is

Coming and the clues are in the specific words. Jesus uses in verse 25

An hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the

Son of God Jesus is talking about the spiritually dead who not only hear him, but then

Understand him they appreciate what he's saying and accept him The form of the verb

John is using here denotes an understanding It's the idea of to hear the verb to hear he says something similar even back in chapter 3

Look at chapter 3 verses 7 and 8 Let me show you the difference same word

Chapter 3 verse 7 and 8. He says do not marvel that I said to you you must be born again the wind blows where it wishes and You hear it sound

But do not know where it comes from and where it is going So everyone so is everyone who has been born of the

Spirit both hearing same verb But some different things going on there the way the

Apostle John uses the Greek verb is very important So I have to highlight this when used to express the object of an action or the goal of motion like hearing the wind and not understanding

The sound is heard and that is all The way he uses it here in our verse in chapter 5 is indicating possession or close

Association as in with sounds like voices the sound is heard with understanding and appreciation like the sheep hearing the voice of their shepherd

John chapter 10 to him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep

Hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out

This is an understanding They hear his voice and they come to life those who hear will live

Jesus isn't talking about the physical bodily resurrection here He is referring to the spiritual rebirth born again in a spiritual resurrection from death to life

And you can say well, what are you talking about? How can you be spiritually resurrected, but you haven't physically died yet?

Because without Christ you are spiritually dead But when you repent when you turn away from sin and return to God you are made alive by Christ Remember the story of the prodigal son

Very important parable. So the son goes to his father. He requests

He actually demands his inheritance while his father is still alive. And what does he do? He goes off into a foreign country and just you know throws the money away with a good lifestyle

I say good as in no, it's not good. Not good You know spending the money on drink and and and women and all that, you know, just not a good lifestyle

Wastes it but look look at what how Luke says this as Luke the historian records his eyewitness account as He compiles his investigation

Luke 15. He says this is in the parable for this son of mine was dead

But the son wasn't physically dead So something is going on here. It says this this son of mine was dead but and Has come to life again

He was lost and has been found and they began to celebrate The son was spiritually dead

But he came back to life He turned away from his sinful lifestyle and he returned to father.

Of course the father in that parable is God When Jesus said that the dead will hear his voice.

He was talking about the spiritually dead and The point is that for those who accept

Jesus the Word of God Those ones will have everlasting life and there will be a bodily

Physical resurrection for all the Christians who have died. They will rise to meet him in the end

We know from the various eyewitness accounts of his life recorded in the Gospels that Jesus raised several people from from death

While he was here on earth Yet those people didn't have a perfect body transformed after his own glory

His earthly ministry was a foreshadow of the future resurrection of the

Saints again, the Apostle Paul first Thessalonians 4 for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout and the voice of the

Archangel and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first the emphatic truth

Jesus says this is because from all eternity the Son had the right to grant life from all eternity

He wasn't a good son and did some good things. So the father decided to reward him He had this from the beginning the pre -existing eternality of Christ John remember the context here.

How did John start his eyewitness account? John chapter 1 verse 1 in the beginning was the

Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God He was in the beginning with God all things came into being through him and apart from him

Nothing came into being that has come into being in him was what?

life in him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shines in the darkness and You need to know this the darkness did not overtake it we win

However bad it gets down here it doesn't matter What we have waiting for us in the future is so far beyond what we could ever even hope or imagine eternal glory

The inheritance of Christ from God the Father and he shares it with us as his brothers and sisters amazing

We can't read even verse 26 divorce from the context of the Apostle John's opening statement about Jesus This is a critical distinction for us to understand in the difference between Jesus is deity in pre -existing eternity

Versus his earthly incarnation in the former fashion of a man No contradiction in his humanity

Jesus Voluntarily laid down or laid aside his independent his independent use or exercise of the divine attributes

It's not that he didn't have them. He didn't publicly display them He didn't lay aside his deity, but his public displays of divine attributes

Paul explains it like this in chapter 2 of Philippians Jesus who although existing in the form of God did not regard a quality with God a thing to be grasped

But emptied himself by taking the form of a slave by being made in the likeness of men being found in appearance as a man

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross

That's an explanation of the incarnation The point he's making in verse 26 is that even in his incarnation as a human being the father had granted him the power of resurrection in other words life giving power and this takes us back to the immediate context of what

Jesus had just Claimed about his equality with God the father the father is begotten of no one

The son is begotten of the father meaning the divine essence Equals the same nature and power

Perfect equality with God the father perfect equality with God Look at chapter 5 even starting back in verse 19

Therefore Jesus answered and was saying truly truly I say to you The son can do nothing from himself unless it is something he sees the father doing

For whatever the father does these things the son also does in the same manner for the father loves the son and Shows him all things that he himself is doing and the father will show him greater works than these so that you will marvel

For just as the father raises the dead and gives them life Even so the son also gives life to whom he wishes

For not even the father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the son So that all will honor the son even as they honor the father

He who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him

Jesus was forceful in his claim to tie his activities of healing the lame man on the

Sabbath directly to God the father Jesus defines his actions as being equal with God's actions in other words

He is saying that he never did something independently that wasn't in line with the father

He never took independent action apart from God the father There is a oneness in action a oneness and notice his language of referring to himself as the son

He's not shying away He's making bold claims. He's defining

Jesus is saying that he as the son only did works that were concurrent

Simultaneous and in agreement with God the father and those works are as comprehensive and boundless as God no separation

Like the creative action in forming the world or the healing of a lame man from birth

The only one who could do what the father does and works by implication must be as great as the father equal

He makes that clear in his statement in verses 20 and 21 This is a reference to the powerful work of raising the dead

We see that in the immediate context of Jesus's statement about the two resurrections one for eternal life and one for eternal judgment

The works are both temporal on the earth, but ultimately of eternal spiritual significance

Jesus is defining his equality with God's works by pointing out that God the father has the power to raise the dead

So does the Sun we need to remember that God is the source of life

John says that Jesus is the creator of life Another way to say it is that there is no life apart from God whether now in this life or eternity

The life that we have in us is a gift that comes from God Psalm 36 says it like this

For with you is the fountain of life in your light we see light

The implication of Jesus is eternal generation both as God and creator is that he is the life

John 14 I am the way and the truth and the what the life

No one comes to the father, but through me he is not just a life.

It's not one of many ways He is the life through whom all repentant sinners who believe by faith will live eternally first John 5 the

Apostle John in his letters says it like this and the witness is this that God gave us eternal life and This life is in his son and he ties this authority back to his title

How does he end this section the son of man the son of man? Remember, he's answering the

Jews who have made accusations against him And so clearly some of this language we can't we need to make that distinction.

It's for them It's for us, but he's pointing out. I'm the one that they talked about in Chapter 5

John started to record the Jewish unbelief worsening Unbelief that is indifferent in being amazed at the sign wonders, but no heart change

Unbelief that hardens the heart and turns into outright opposition and persecution Jesus Responds strongly by asserting his equality with God as their unbelief enters into a new phase and is ramping up We see

Jesus respond with emphatic language the Old Testament recorded through the prophets

Mentioned three signs of God's anointed one three that I'll point out anyway much more than three

The Messiah would be Yahweh in human flesh It's what it said. The first is the lame and sick or healed

So if Yahweh is in human flesh then God being the source of life and the

Creator he heals You can heal anyone So the first sign is that the

Messiah Yahweh in in the flesh would heal the sick and the lame

This is in Isaiah 35 then the lame will leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy

Jesus said to him get up pick up your mat and walk and Immediately the man became well and picked up his mat and began to walk

My father is working until now and I am also working The second is that the dead are raised to life 1st

Samuel chapter 2 Yahweh puts to death and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and raises up Deuteronomy 32 see now that I I am he and there is no

God besides me It is I who put to death and give life

I have wounded and it is I who heal and there is no one who can deliver from my hand

The third is the authority to judge is given to Jesus as the Son of Man Daniel says this in chapter 7

Daniel 7 13 and 14 I kept looking in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven

One like a son of man was coming and he came up to the Ancient of Days and came near before him

For just as the Father has life in himself even so he gave to the

Son also to have life in himself and he gave him authority to execute judgment because He is the

Son of Man Jesus is using very specific language that ties himself back to the

Old Testament promises about Yahweh about the Messiah Eternal Father God Almighty one like the

Son of Man I once Heard this illustration that I thought was helpful.

It's the illustration of an ancient manuscript Exhibited in one of the cases in the library of the

Vatican is an ancient manuscript. They have quite a collection centuries ago men had written line after line on sheets of Papyrus until their work had filled an entire volume

Many years later when paper was difficult to secure Someone found that old volume and wrote a new work across the original manuscript

Really destroying it. They wrote in lines perpendicular to the first Today the blacker ink of the second writing is more legible

But the text underneath is still clear enough to read And you can understand what was being said there

Scholars frequently take more delight in in the reading of the older than they do in the more recent writing

You think about that such as the heart and conscience of man across the fresh fresh page in the youth of the race

God wrote the eternal truths of his being his holiness his justice and the certainty of his wrath against sin

Men turned the page sideways and wrote with blacker ink The history of their drawings until in some cases the earlier writing is almost effaced but the day will come when the acid of God's judgment will eat away the writings of men and The strong x -ray of the light of God will bring to the surface the original writing by which man will be judged

Jesus himself explains his equality with God the Father in three ways so that you can understand the certain reality of Eternity three clear ways.

Jesus defines his deity by explaining judgment and eternity number one the emphatic truth

Jesus reveals that the spiritually dead Who were dead in sin?

Will be born again to newness of life when they hear his voice and respond and then verses 28 and 29 the eternal reality the eternal reality

Do not marvel at this Do not marvel at this for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tomb

Will hear his voice and will come forth Those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life and those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment

Jesus gives a confirmation of the last resurrection by using the language an hour is coming an hour is coming

He is telling them to not marvel because the resurrection of the final day is not an example of greater power in raising up bodies

Over raising up the mind of the unbeliever The natural man thinks nothing of the resurrection of the soul

Nor does he believe in the resurrection of the physical body? It is an absurd stupidity of human beings that the things which you perceive with your eyes have a stronger influence in producing faith

Than simply that which can be received by faith alone Jesus is clearly alluding to the last day and he makes the point that the time will one day arrive the certain reality of eternity

But oftentimes even though believers expect the resurrection of the physical bodies

We are apt to come to false conclusions that souls aren't rescued from death now right now

Bodies will one day rise out of the graves For the ungodly it is near impossible

To to the point of being ridiculous for us to try to prove something that is unknown

But Jesus is boasting in his power over the reprobate mind

He is testifying that God the Father has committed the Son the full restoration of all things in creation

Think about it like this Christ By the voice of his gospel

Revives the soul which had been doomed to damnation Jesus is saying

I have commenced this salvation in my power as God and I will one day finish before your eyes the full and complete judgment of every living soul every living soul

As he's talking about the entire human race he is making a distinction between the elect and the unelect

He's not talking about sheep Versus unregenerated sheep who have not yet responded.

He's talking about sheep and unregenerate goats who will never respond There's a division that demonstrates that the reprobate mind

Will be summoned by the voice of Christ to come to judgment One theologian said it like this.

He asked this question when commenting on verse 28 quote why does he mention those only who are shut up in graves as if others would not be partakers of the resurrection whether they have been drowned or devoured by wild beasts or reduced to ashes

The answer is that as the dead are commonly buried by a figure of speech

He employs a part to denote all who are already dead And this is more emphatic than if he had simply said the dead

For those whom death already deprived of life and light the grave withdraws as it were from the world

An hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice

Meaning there isn't one person who won't hear his voice The voice of the

Sun is the sound of the trumpet which is the command by the power of Christ he said this himself in Matthew 24 the

Olivet Discourse and He will send forth his angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together his elect

From the four winds from one end of the sky to the other Paul talked about it like this in his letter to the

Corinthians 1st Corinthians 15 in a moment in the twinkling of an eye At the last trumpet for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised the angels as the messengers will proclaim the authority of the judge in the

Person of Jesus as he assigns that power to himself the two resurrections

Those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life Those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment in saying those who did good

Jesus was most certainly not teaching justification by works in The immediate context the idea of being good is believing in the promises of the gospel

By having faith in the one who makes the promise the Son In faith, we receive a new nature and are born again and that new nature produces the good works

Same thing Jesus explained to the Pharisee Nicodemus He told

Nicodemus but he who practices the truth comes to the light so that as deeds may be

Manifested as having been done by God good is Believing in the

Son of God not just doing nice things The good works are a demonstration of genuine faith

Faith doesn't come by works James explains it like this in his letter chapter 2 of James He says what use is it my brethren if someone says he has faith, but he has no works

Even so faith if it has no works is dead by itself but someone will say

You have faith and I have works Show me your faith without the works and I will show you my faith by my works

You're not saved by the works. They're just a demonstration that your faith is real The evil is when a person rejects the

Sun referring to the unelect They hate the light and that results in evil deeds

Again, it's the same thing. Jesus said to Nicodemus Jesus told Nicodemus he who believes in him referring to the

Messiah. The Christ is not judged He who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten

Son of God and this is the judgment that the light has come into the world and Men loved the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil

Their deeds were evil The deeds that we do in life are simply the evidence of one's nature as to whether they are saved or whether they are not

Saved the deeds or human works never Determine one's salvation in other words

Every single person who has rebelled against Jesus will be resurrected However, the reprobate mind will hear

God's judgment against them They will be sentenced by God to eternal damnation separated from the grace of God The depravity in the thinking of the reprobate is that they will seek pleasure

Live a quote good life while they're here on earth while ignoring God They imagine a fantasy in their mind that death will be a final rest or that there's nothing that comes after they live in denial however

Jesus Christ will not allow one unbelieving person to see the finality of death as the true end

The certain reality of eternity is that there is a judgment to face for every human being who has ever lived the two resurrections

Those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life This is what

Paul describes the resurrection This is from 1st Corinthians 15.

I'm gonna read a decent chunk here If you want to turn there help yourself 1st Corinthians 15 starting in verse 39

And I'll skip around a bit 1st Corinthians 15 starting in verse 39 Paul says all flesh is not the same flesh

But there is one flesh of men and another flesh of beasts and another flesh of birds and another of fish

There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies But the glory of the heavenly is one and the glory of the earthly is another

There is one glory of the Sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars for star differs from star in glory

So also is the resurrection of the dead It is sown a corruptible body

It is raised an incorruptible body. It is sown in dishonor

It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power

It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body behold

I tell you a mystery We will not all die But we will all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet

For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we will be changed for this corruptible must must put on the incorruptible and this mortal must put on immortality

But when this corruptible puts on the incorruptible and this mortal puts on immortality

Then we'll come about the word that is written Death is swallowed up in victory.

Oh Death, where is your victory? Oh death. Where is your sting?

now the sting of death is sin and The power of sin is the law But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our

Lord Jesus Christ the resurrection of the sheep the two resurrections

Well, there's another resurrection Those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment the

Apostle John also recorded this in the revelation of Jesus Christ Revelation 14

Describing those who will face this judgment and he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his rage and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the full presence of the

Holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb and The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever

They have no rest day and night all things will come to bear

No one escapes this eternity no one escapes this reality. There's a famous story

About a woman who had kind of a Sort of revealed this this shopping theft ring

It's the illustration of the coat button a woman bought a coat in a shop in Brooklyn for about $90

And then soon realized that a button was lost from it So the shop didn't have an extra button and the woman contacted the factory to get it

The factory looked it up recognized that the button was one that had matched some stolen inventory

He's another stolen coat the woman led detectives to the shop and The owner was jailed as offense for receiving stolen goods from shoplifters

So from button to coat from theft to thief the chain led to judgment

With man, it takes detective work With with us. It's different. It takes us to we have to look into things

It takes detective work, but to God all things are naked and open All missing buttons will be located on that day

Every wrong will be brought home to the door of the sinner Unless he has let the

Savior settle out of court for him Three clear ways Jesus defines his deity by explaining judgment and eternity number one the emphatic truth and number two the eternal reality

Every human being who has ever lived will be resurrected by Jesus as the righteous judge either to everlasting life or to eternal torment

The eternal reality every human being who has ever lived will be resurrected by Jesus as the righteous judge either to everlasting life or to eternal torment and Number three the exceptional purpose verses 30 through 32 the exceptional purpose

Jesus says I can do nothing for myself as I hear I judge and my judgment is righteous because I do nothing for myself

I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent me If I alone bear witness about myself, my witness is not true

There is another who bears witness about me and I know that the witness which he gives about me is true

At this point Jesus stops to summarize everything. He had said really from verse 19 on about his equality with God the

Father He said that he said in verse 19 truly truly I say to you the

Son can do nothing from himself unless it is something he sees the Father doing for whatever the Father does these

Things the Son also does in the same manner Jesus very clearly claimed that he had the authority and the power to exercise judgment and that authority and power to exercise

Judgment is because everything that Jesus did was actually exercising the Father's Word and the

Father's will I Can do nothing for myself, but the will of him who sent me

He says something similar as we continue on in this eyewitness account and John in chapter 8

He says but even if I do judge Even if I do judge my judgment is true for I am not alone in it, but I and the

Father who sent me The point that Jesus is making here in his summary is the background of these statements

That witnesses established the truthfulness of a matter this is an Old Testament biblical principle

Deuteronomy 17 on the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses He who is to die shall be put to death.

He shall not be put to death on the mouth of one witness later in Deuteronomy chapter 19 a single witness

Shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin

Which he has committed at the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established

At this point in the gospel eyewitness account of the Apostle John Jesus himself has emphasized this theme of witnesses and testifying as He transitions away from explaining the certain reality of eternity in the two resurrections

Jesus will go on to clarify and demonstrate the witnesses John the

Baptist testifies to Jesus as the revealed glory of God the Father Jesus's works testified to his deity

God the Father Testifies to the pre -existing eternality of Jesus as the

Son of God the Old Testament scriptures testify to Jesus of Nazareth being the anointed one of God and Savior of the world the

Messiah in verse 18 Jesus Clearly claimed to be equal with God the

Father For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because he was not only breaking the

Sabbath But also was calling God his own father making himself equal with God in Verse 24

Jesus clearly claimed to give eternal life Truly truly I say to you he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has

Eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life in verse 26

Jesus clearly claimed to be the source of life for just as the father has life in himself

Even so he gave the son also to have life in himself in verse 27

Jesus clearly claimed to judge sin and The father gave him authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man these bold declarations demonstrate clearly that Jesus of Nazareth was claiming to be divine in heavenly origin and in complete equality in essence and nature with God the

Father the exceptional purpose And this purpose is demonstrated in multiple ways.

We have some supporting scripture Luke put it like this in chapter 4 recording the words of our

Lord I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also for I was sent for this purpose

John later writing in his letters first John 3 the Son of God was Manifested for this purpose to destroy the works of the devil

We know that Satan blinds the mind of the unbeliever to the truth of the gospel and you can just picture that Person with a blindfold over their face.

They can't see the truth and Jesus came to undo the works of the devil He takes that blindfold off So the unbeliever can see the light of the gospel

Even later in this eyewitness account after Jesus fed the 5 ,000 and then walked on water

He was asked by a large crowd who were following him and the crowd said this to him

Rabbi, why did you come here? Rabbi? Why did you come here in John chapter 6?

This is how Jesus answered them. He said I have come down from heaven

Not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me Now this is the will of him who sent me that of all that he has given me

I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day for this is the will of my father

That everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life

And I myself will raise him up on the last day three clear ways that Jesus defines his deity by explaining judgment and eternity number three the exceptional purpose the exceptional purpose

The Lord Jesus explains the purpose of his earthly ministry by declaring the entire and complete agreement between the

Father and the Son That is the exceptional purpose the

Lord Jesus explains the purpose of his earthly ministry by declaring the entire and complete agreement between the

Father and the Son The story is told of the conversion of Thomas Scott a

Unitarian So a Unitarian is somebody who doesn't believe in the Trinity They believe not in the

Trinity that God is one, but they've mishandled the scripture Essentially, they're saying they don't believe in the deity of Jesus and oftentimes these folks about a century ago

They would be involved with something called theosophy Which is sort of like a weird New Age mysticism thing

So you can you can have a connection to God not not the God of the Bible not Jesus But through spiritual meditation or your own personal intuition, you can basically save yourself or come to know a higher power

So oftentimes these folks were just into some weird practices Out of this was birthed sort of Christian science or Christian scientists

Always a mishandling of the scripture. So this guy Thomas Scott was a Unitarian It is related of the eminent commentator of the 18th century

Thomas Scott That he was for some years opposed to the precious and important truth of the deity of the

Lord Jesus Christ Like most Unitarians the lower his thoughts were as to the

Son of God The higher they were of himself and his own righteousness Really a proud

Pharisee he fancied that he was quite able to save himself if indeed he needed saving at all But through a careful and thoughtful study of the scriptures

He was awakened He was awakened to see his lost condition in his deep need of a

Savior and a mediator Relating his experience in the book the force of truth he said this

I Clearly perceived my very best duties on Which my main dependence had hitherto been placed?

to be merely specious sins and My whole life appeared to be one continued series of transgressions.

I Now understood the Apostle Paul's meaning when he affirms that by the works of the law

No one shall be justified before God He's quoting Galatians 2 16 which says never nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law

But through faith in Jesus Christ Even we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be

Justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law since by the works of the law.

No flesh will be justified thus provoked Thomas Scott saw that none

But a divine Savior could avail for so great a sinner as he now realized himself to be and So trusting in the

Lord Jesus He found peace and joy Unitarianism like so -called

Christian science theosophy and various other human religions Will do well enough for a man with a drugged or sleeping conscience

But the gospel of the grace of God alone Meet the need of an awakened sinner who has learned that God is holy and cannot look upon iniquity

To such there is a sweetness and a healing balm in the words of John That are recorded from our

Lord For God so loved the world That he gave his only begotten

Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life

In today's passage the Apostle John defines the deity of Jesus of Nazareth by recording

Jesus his own words Refuting the Jews who were seeking to kill him Jesus himself explained his equality with God the

Father he did it in three ways so that you can understand the certain reality of Eternity and respond properly to the voice of the

Shepherd three crystal clear ways that Jesus Defines his deity by explaining judgment and eternity number one the emphatic truth verses 25 through 27

Jesus reveals that the spiritually dead who were dead in sin will be born again of newness of life when they hear his voice and respond because he is the power of God to give life and to execute judgment and number two the eternal reality verses 28 and 29

Every human being who has ever lived will be resurrected by Jesus as the righteous judge either to everlasting life or to eternal torment because no one ever really dies and number three the exceptional purpose in verses 30 through 32

The Lord Jesus explains the purpose of his earthly ministry by declaring the entire and complete agreement

Between the Father and the Son because Jesus declared himself to be the Son of God He who hears my word and Believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment

But has passed out of death into life deliverance from damnation

Everlasting life Granted by the one who has authority to pronounce eternal punishment

Jesus the Good Shepherd of the sheep the one who pardons abundantly the one who delivers